In today's stores many different articles, such as food products, hygiene articles, etc. may be purchased which all have different sizes and shapes. Normally, a checkout operator handles each article manually and makes sure that the article is associated with the correct pricing at checkout for payment by the customer. This is traditionally done either by manually inputting the price, by scanning a barcode attached to the article, or a combination of those. In either case a conveyor system is often provided for transporting the articles from the area of the customer to the area of the checkout operator. A conveyor system normally includes an endless belt which is driven by a pair of rollers. When a customer positions an article on the belt it is automatically transported to the operator. A second belt is often provided for further transporting the articles away from the operator and into a packing area.
In order to improve the working conditions for the operator the first belt may be arranged to align the articles such that they are received in an area which is readily reachable for the operator. One example of such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,194, in which articles having a pre-attached bar code are aligned by means of a tilted conveyor belt being supported by additional conveyor belts being arranged 90° relative the tilted belt. The additional belts are separated from each other such that a bar code reader may scan the barcodes when they pass the slit formed between the additional belts. Hence, the prior art system makes sure that the articles are transported at a constant distance from each other and allows for an automatic detection of the bar code as long as the article is positioned correctly.
Automatic checkout counters are becoming an interesting alternative for retail stores and supermarkets. Such checkout counters provides safe and easy handling of articles and they normally include different components for identifying the article accurately. Precise identification is desirable not only for ensuring proper operation without the need for operators, but also for preventing fraud. An important aspect of precise identification is the position of the articles to be identified. Therefore, there is a need for an improved system for positioning articles, especially when such system is used in automatic checkout counters.